Also, the person who introduced me to Worm used “#Panacea needs a hug and a Starbucks gift card” as his Worm tag.
Ahaha, that’s very appropriate. 😛
All the hugs for Panacea!
Tag: chapter 12.1
“Ah, yes, Guts and Glory. Had that been released to the public before this reveal made it into Worm?” I don’t think so. He posted it (and several other drafts) on his blog during the gap between Worm and Pact. You should definitely read them after you finish Worm.
Ah, okay. Makes sense to post the drafts after the full work, to ensure they don’t spoil anything.
And yeah, the drafts sound very interesting to read between Worm and Ward. 🙂
Post-bank robbery, what Gallant actually said was “Does this have anything to do with your strong feelings for me?” He was referring to her distaste. He knew what was really going on, but the whole mess with Bakuda, the Empire, and Leviathan distracted him. His last thoughts as he realized Leviathan’s wave was about to kill him was regret that he hadn’t done more to help Amy.
A closer reading reveals that Gallant *doesn’t* think Panacea loves him—that’s just how readers are supposed to interpret it. He only references strong feelings on Amy’s part, but never actually says what they are. Rather than romantic feelings, he was probably picking up on jealousy or hatred.
Ehhh. I could see it, but if that was the case, he worded himself badly. Having strong feelings for someone is very different from having strong feelings about someone.
I think I prefer the interpretation that he was picking up on the love for Glory Girl that caused the distaste, rather than the distaste itself, because it was a stronger emotion, and assumed it was directed at him because it tended to come to the forefront when she was around him specifically.
To kick off today’s asks, we’ve got some content from @incorrect-wormquotes, sent in by cedeelbe:
Skitter: Does this feel like a nightmare?
Skitter: Like something out of a bad dream?
Skitter: Because that’s the effect I was going for.
She’s quite skilled at that. 😛
(Under. The eyelids.)
Imp: [In Skitter’s chair in her lair] Hey, look at me, I’m Skitter!
Tattletale: She doesn’t generally spin that much.
Imp: Right. This is Skitter: “Oh, no, I can’t do anything fun tonight. I have to count my past sins, then alphabetize them. Oh, by the way, I’m thinking of snapping on Friday."
Ahaha!
Sounds like Imp knows Skitter rather well. 😉
End of Plague 12.1
That was a fairly strong opening chapter for the Arc. We got to watch Taylor do pest control and rock the benevolent ruler role, had an interesting discussion with Brian about Coil’s acceptance of Taylor’s way of ruling her territory, and then got to the Slaughterhouse developments fairly quickly. It looks like we’re in for a third truce, which I’m absolutely down for.
Seriously, I really should’ve thought of that. I know I’m not that great at predictions most of the time, but this is downright embarrassing.
But yeah, I think we’re in for an interesting Arc.
Next chapter, it’s meeting time! It’s going to be interesting to see how different it’ll be from the one in Hive. Most notably, Hookwolf taking the initiative, suggesting he might take charge rather than Coil. Something tells me the mediation of the meeting will be a little more aggressive this time around.
And then there’s Skidmark, who’s much more powerful in a social sense this time. Last time he was a pathetic whelp, easily dismissed by the big shots, especially Kaiser. This time, he’s a pathetic whelp with a following. Kaiser isn’t here and Skidmark belongs at the table, but Hookwolf, a fellow racist, is in charge and Skidmark just suffered an embarrassing defeat, so he might find himself just as excluded as last time. Though Hookwolf at least seems more inclined to stay professional than Kaiser was, and might not act on his racism.
Skidmark did get set up in this chapter as one to watch, though. That might be a red herring, or just something that made it in because of the Undersiders’ conceptions of him. But it’s possible that the caped Skidmark wouldn’t take getting excluded as well as he did last time, so it might be worth keeping an eye on him either way. That is, if he shows up.
So yeah! I’m looking forward to this. See you next time!
That touched on that sensitive subject again. My original motivations, my act, such as it was back then. I turned the subject of our debate back to the meeting. “What do you think? If it was up to you and you alone, would you want us to go?”
I’m thinking no. He’s giving plenty of signals that he doesn’t agree with Taylor’s desire to go.
“No. But it isn’t up to me and me alone. When I weigh everything in my head, including the risk of our groups spending time fighting and arguing on the subject when we could be organizing and putting measures in place to protect our territory in our absence? I think it makes more sense to accept it and go with the flow.”
That’s a wise train of thought. I like it.
“When is the meeting?”
“With a situation this critical? There’s no time to waste. Tonight.”
Good. The sooner the meeting is, the sooner Coil can drop the timeline branching and go back to using that for other things.
“You’re talking like you want to do this.”
“I do. Kind of. If all the top villains of the city attend and we don’t, are we really doing ourselves any favors?
Only if all the other top villains get brutally attacked, and I’m fairly confident that won’t happen.
Our rep will take a nosedive, we’ll be out of the loop, and there’s nothing saying we wouldn’t be targeted by the Nine all the same if we sit it out.”
In fact, we have Cherish saying you definitely will. Twice over, though you don’t know that.
“Why do I get the feeling your decision here is motivated by your rushed attempts to get more control, more rep and finish this phase of our territory grab as soon as possible?”
Oh, looks like I got mixed up with regard to who was speaking which lines for a moment. Taylor’s probably got one more reason to want to do it, namely that Coil said so and she knows he’s probably split the timeline and told another version of them to not go.
And hey, if Grue comes up with her excuse for suddenly being so interested in the Undersiders’ rep, that’s convenient for her.
“Because it is.”
He sighed, and the sound was eerie, altered by his darkness. “To think I used to like that you were hardcore serious about the supervillain thing.”
Hah! Would you rather she be hardcore serious about the superhero thing?
“Coil wants everyone present. Tattletale thinks Hookwolf is on the up and up, but he’s only one of the potential problems that could come up.”
I’d trust Coil on this one. The fact that this is what’s happening suggests it’s going to go alright. At least better than staying home.
I thought of the others who would be at the meeting. “Like the fact that Skidmark is one of the local powers. Or he is if he’s managed to recuperate rep-wise from the ass kicking that Faultline gave him. He’s not exactly the type to keep to the truce at the meeting. An unpredictable element.”
I dunno. Last time, he kept it about as civil as you can expect from a guy like him. Even when he was met with racism and condescension at the main table, he didn’t stir up too much trouble. And while he’s gotten a bit more of a taste of power these days, right now, right after that defeat, would be a bad time to do something stupid at the meeting.
“Yeah.”
“But if Tattletale is right, and Hookwolf isn’t on the side of the Slaughterhouse Nine, if we can trust Skidmark to have the basic common sense to back the rest of us up if they attack-”
Now that part I’m less sold on.
Brian turned toward me, and I could imagine him giving me an ‘are you serious?’ look behind his visor.
Pfft.
“-Or at least not get in our way,” I corrected myself.
Ahaha, yeah, that sounds more like it!
“We could fight back, if it wound up being most of the villain groups against the Nine. Our group’s powersets lend themselves to slipping away if that went sour, and Tattletale might be able to sense trouble before it hit us.”
This approach, the villains of Brockton Bay teaming up against the Slaughterhouse Nine, makes a ton of sense compared to the Undersiders taking them on by themselves, and I’m ashamed I didn’t think of it.
Hell, just like the Endbringers, the name of the Slaughterhouse Nine was literally introduced as an example of enemies prompting this reaction. It was in the cards all along, especially as we reached the Arc 11 Interludes and started putting capes beyond the Undersiders up against them. This, if it works for the characters, is an excellent way of dealing with a) most nominees being almost defenseless against the Slaughterhouse’s powers on their own and b) telling the story of the testing of the non-Undersider nominees without resorting to more Interludes.
“He was one of the people they visited.”
“He was. Which means this could be a trap. Some kind of grand slaughter to commemorate his joining the group. Taking out the other prospective members in the process, like Regent.”
As someone who’s read Interlude 11e, no. That’s not what this is. But from the perspective of the characters, this is a completely justified fear, especially given their history with the E88 and Hookwolf in particular.
“Or it could be a target for the Slaughterhouse Nine to attack. Create chaos, maximum bloodshed, the kind of stuff that gets attention. They’d be killing some of their possible recruits, but that’d suit them, being unpredictable, never letting you think you’re safe.”
Another quite valid concern. It’s a risky endeavor, especially since Cherish would be able to detect the concentration of people of interest.
Grue nodded.
“At the same time, if we don’t go, it’s crucial info that we’re missing out on.” I thought aloud. “What does Dinah say?”
The latest fad in bumper stickers!
“Her power is out of commission after the attack on Coil’s base, apparently.”
Ah, right. That’s unfortunate.
Is Taylor going to latch onto the idea of that possibly being a result of Coil’s abuse (which it is, born from necessity or otherwise)?
“So we’re flying blind, with only Coil’s power to back us up.”
“Whatever it is.”
Well, at least Taylor knows.
“Whatever it is.” I echoed him, feeling bad for the dishonesty and my lack of disclosure. “What do Coil and Tattletale have to say about the meeting?”
Coil’s input could be incredibly valuable here. He can tell them to go in one reality and not to go in the other, and then see how it goes.
“Who was the other, at Coil’s?”
“Coil isn’t saying. We think, with Tattletale’s educated guess helping us out, that Hookwolf might have been another possible recruit.”
Don’t look at me, Taylor. I wouldn’t know. *shifty eyes*
“And at the PRT offices? Shadow Stalker?”
Heh, she would jump to that guess.
Of course, Taylor doesn’t know what Regent did to Shadow Stalker. Maybe Grue’s about to inform her that Shadow Stalker hasn’t been seen in town for a while?
“As good a guess as any. We’re not sure where she wound up.”
Fair.
“So what does this mean?”
“It means Hookwolf is calling together a meeting of the local powers that be. Crook, criminal, mercenary and warlord. We have to decide if we want to go.”
Ooh, another villain get-together á là Hive! I like this.
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